The Black Room

"Dead or Alive... He could kill!"

1935 1h 10m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 63

HorrorCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a 16th-century European town, the ruling family has been given a prophecy that, should there ever be twin boys born, the younger will murder the older; so is dismayed when twins are born to the popular baron. The older grows to be a selfish, slovenly man, who inherits the castle at his father's death and becomes ruler over the formerly happy villagers. He enjoys his power until he learns his younger brother is returning from abroad and, afraid of the prophecy, he determines to murder his sibling, hide his body in the "black room" - an old torture chamber sealed away behind the fireplace - and then impersonate him, right down to his withered arm. In this way he hopes to not only avoid the prophecy, but also escape consequences of his other criminal deeds and obtain marriage to a local girl of the nobility...

“Dead or Alive... He could kill!”

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Cast

Boris Karloff
Baron Gregor de Berghman / Anton de Berghman
Marian Marsh
Thea Hassel
Robert Allen
Lt. Albert Lussan
Thurston Hall
Col. Paul Hassel
Katherine DeMille
Mashka
John Buckler
Beran - the gypsy
Henry Kolker
Baron de Berghman
Colin Tapley
Paul Hassel as a young lieutenant

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roy William Neill
Writers: Arthur Strawn, Arthur Strawn, Henry Myers
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

91 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roy William Neill, shot by Allen G. Siegler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Cahoon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Boris Karloff and Marian Marsh and Robert Allen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Dead or Alive... He could kill!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0026123 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roy William Neill directs. Allen G. Siegler behind the camera. Richard Cahoon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
291 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Roy William Neill, shot by Allen G. Siegler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Richard Cahoon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Boris Karloff and Marian Marsh and Robert Allen carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Dead or Alive... He could kill!".
7IMDB entry: tt0026123 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "prophecy", "arranged marriage", "castle", "ruling class".